Sheet material



E .G A m A M H R w SHEET MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 31, 1936"win;

maker mamac e INVENTOR Jul 11, 1939,

W. F. H. MATTLAGE SHEET MATERIAL "Filed-oat. 31, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2aww Patented July 11, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHEET MATERIALApplication October 31, 1936, Serial No. 108,589

Claims.

. This invention relates to embossed sheet material having a surfacepattern, and more par ticularly to a process for producing patterns incontinuous sheet material by embossing.

In producing surface pattern effects on coated flexible sheet materialby means of embossing, two types are commonly used; namely, rollerembossing and plate embossing. In the roller embossing engraved metal(steel) rolls are used with counter rolls, the latter being usually madeof paper discs placed in direct contact with each other under highpressure on a steel mandrel. Frequently the engraved roll is, heated,usually withsteani, and the paper roll carries the pattern counter tothe pattern on the steel roll. In producing the pattern on the coatedmaterial it is passed between the rolls with sufficient pressure toproduce the desired pattern. The paper roll can of course be used withonly a single design. The-steel embossing roll and the counter paperroll for any particular design represent a substantial investment.Roller embossing is not entirely satisfactory for many patterns sincethe very short contact of the material being embossed between the rollsdoes not produce the desired sharpness of design that is required inmany patterns.

In the so-called plate embossing a press is used. The upper jaw of thepress holds the metal 30 plate (sheet) on which is engraved orelectroplated the pattern of the design which is to be embossed on thesheet material. This metal plate is placed adjacent to a steam chestwhich forms part of the upper jaw of the press. 0n the lower jaw of thepress is a felted fibrous sheet common- 1y known as the bed. 'I'hlS bedcarries the counter of the design on the upper metal plate.

In producing an embossed pattern on sheet material the material ispassed between the jaws, the jaws brought together at a predeterminedpressure and after the design has been produced are again released andthe process thus continued. Press embossing produces clearer, moredistinct and more durable and natural efiects or designs than canusually be produced by roller embossing. Further the cost of theembossing plates and the so-calledbed for a particular de- A objectswere the provision of a method for pro-' ducing embossing effects anddesigns by the use of a combination of two embossing plates, theprovision of a method for producing novel striped embossing efiects onsheet material which avoids the necessity of obtaining new embossingplates for each design combination, the provision of an embossingprocess whereby the same embossing plate may be used to produce morethan one pattern, and the provision of an embossing process whereby thesame embossing bed may be used to produce more than one pattern. Stillfurther objects were to devise embossing processes wherein the embossedpattern does not correspond to the embossing plate producing it, whereinthe embossed pattern is produced by embossing with a plurality ofembossing plates and wherein embossings consisting of combinations ofthe designs of various embossing plates could be produced without themodification of the embossing plates or other portions of the embossingapparatus.

A general advance in the art and other objects which will appearhereinafterare also contema plated.

The foregoing objects and the related ends are accomplished in themanner set out in the following description in which details of what isbelieved to be the best mode for carrying out the invention aredisclosed.

In general the invention is carried outby embossing sheet material,which may be plain or may have been previously embossed either by plateor roller embossing by pressing it between 'the embossing plate and anembossing bed, the bed being of the type wherein a portion facing theembossing plate has been removed. The objects of the invention are alsorealized by embossing the sheet material in an overall design and thenre-embossing predetermined portions of the embossed surface, whichpredetermined portions are controlled by the partial removal of theembossing bed used in the re-embossing operation. The embossing plateemployed in the re-embossing operation produces an embossed effeet ordesign which entirely obliterates the original design on that portionwhich is re-embossed.

In the accompanying drawings,

bossing plate pressed against an embossing bed. Figure 2 represents afabric which has been embossed by pressing it between an embossing plateand an embossing bed of the type illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents a section through an embossing plate pressed againstan embossing bed.

Figure 1 represents a section through an em- The embossing bedrepresented in this figure is 1' of the type illustrated in Figure 1after portions of the bed have been removed.

.Figure 4 represents the fabric of Figure 2 after it has been embossed asecond time by pressing it between an embossing plate and an embossingbed of the type illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 represents a fabric which has been embossed by pressing itbetween an embossing plate and an embossing bed generally similar tothose represented in Figure 3. In this case, portions of the embossingbed have been removed to form a design composed of stars.

Figure 6 represents a fabric which has been embossed by pressing itbetween an embossing plate and an embossing bed generally similar tothose represented in Figure 3. In this case, portions of the embossingbed have been removed to v form a design composed of crescents.

Figure 7 represents a fabric which has been Figure 10 represents(diagrammatically) an embossing bed, portions of which have been removedby cutting square holes in the same.

Figure 11 represents an emboseed fabric similar to those of Figures 5, 6and 7 in which the embossing bed illustrated in Figure 10 has been usedin the embossing.

Figure 12 represents an embossed fabric similar to that represented inFigures 5, 6 and '7 in which portions of the bed used for the embossinghave been removed leaving parallel rows of diamond shaped .contactingsurfaces.

Figure 13 represents (diagrammatically) aportion of the embossing bedused in embossing the fabric of Figure 12. i

Figure 14 represents (diagrammatically) a section (not necessarily drawnto scale) through an embossing plate, fabric being embossed and anembossing bed having cutaway portions.

Figure 15 represents more or less diagrammatically a portion of anembossing bed having no cutaway portions;

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.In Figure 1 there is shown more or less diagrammatically an embossingplate H and an embossing bed l2. Embossing plates are usually made ofmetal and because of their thickness are very rigid. An embossing bed isusually composed of a base portion of paper laminations indicated at I51in Figure 15 and an embossing plate contacting surface of resilient highgrade felt indicated at I56. When new, an embossing bed has a smoothsurface as indicated at I55. In ordinary practice an embossing plate ispressed against an embossing bed to form thereona counter surface asshown in Figure 1 where l3 indicates the contacting surfaces. Thereafterthe embossing plate and its bed are utilized in embossing by pressingthe material to be embossed between the plate and the bed. The relationof the parts may be clearer from Figure 14 in which I represents anembossing plate, I44 the ma terial being embossed and I42 the embossingbed.

After the material to be embossed has been properly pressed between theplate and the bed, the design of the plate is left on the startingmaterial, as shown at 24 in Figure 2.

Embossing plates are quite expensive and in the past have been aconsiderable item of expense to the manufacturer of embossed material.This necessarily followed because heretofore it was believed that anembossing plate could be used for only one design. As is well known tothose skilled in the art, it was necessary to purchase large numbers ofembossing plates from time to time because of the seasonal character ofembossed goods. It has now been discovered that the same embossing platemay be used for the production of an almost unlimited series of designsby appropriate alteration of the contacting surface areas of theembossing beds which are relatively inexpensive.

In practicing this invention portions of the embossing bed surface whichordinarily face the embossing plate are removed in any desirable manneras, for example, by cutting, milling, boring and the like. This isillustrated in Figure 3 wherein 3| indicates an embossing plate and 32indicates an embossing bed having portions re-' moved as indicated bythe numeral 33. This feature is shown on a larger scale in Figure 14 inwhich a portion M3 of the embossing bed I42 has been removed. When sheetmaterial is pressed between an embossing plate and an embossing bed of.this type, embossing takes place only at the places where portions ofthe bed have not been removed. At the places where portions of the bedhave been removed, no prestrated a sheet of material which has beentwice.

embossed. A smooth surface sheet of starting material was embossed overits entire surface by a plate and bed of the type illustrated in Figure1 to produce the sheet material 24 of Figure 2. The once embossedmaterial was then pressed between a plate and bed of the typeillustrated in Figure 3; Since grooves, indicated at 33, had been cut inthe embossing bed 32, there was no pressure on the sheet material 24 atthat place and as a result, the final product 44 has longitudinalstripes 48 bearing the pattern of the first embossing, that of the plateII, and has its remaining areas (stripes) embossed in the design of.plate 3| as indicated at 49.

The numeral 54 in Figure 5 illustrates a product which has been obtainedby a single embossing. In this case, the bed had portions cut away inthe shape of five-pointed stars, There was no pressure at the cutawayportions so that the original smooth surface of the starting materialwas retained. The remaining portions having been pressed between theplate and the bed have acquired the design of the embossing plate.

A similar product is illustrated'in Figure 6 by the numeral 64 in whichthe embossing bed had portions cut away in the shape of crescents.

In Figure 7, there is indicated by the numeral 14 a sheet material inwhich most of the contacting surface of the embossing bed has been 'cutaway leaving contacting portions in the shape of letters.

Numeral 83 in Figure 8 indicates a hole which has been drilled in anembossing bed 82. When such an embossing bed is used there results theproduct indicated at 94 in Figure 9. In this product the originalsurface of the starting material is retained at the portions whichregistered with the holes 83 in the bed 82. In Figure 11 there isrepresented the embossed material II which bears the design of theembossing plate all except that the squares II8 where the originalsurface has been retained due to the fact that the embossing bed I02used in producing the material had corresponding square recesses. Theserecesses in the bed I02 are indicated at I03 in Figure 10.

Numeral I24 illustrates a sheet material obtainable by embossing with anembossing bed I32. Embossing bed I32 was prepared by cutting parallelgrooves (channels) in its contacting surface. By cutting these groovesI33 at an appropriate angle there remained of the contacting surfaceonly the diamond shaped portion I35. Use of this bed resulted in theproduct I24 which received embossing only on the diamond shaped areascorresponding to the projections I35.

In practicing the preferred embodiment of this invention'the sheetmaterial is first'embossed in the regular manner with either the rolleror plate type of embossing with any particular type of grain. After thesheet material has been embossed in an all over design predeterminedportions are then re-embossed, in a press type of embossing machine witha design difierent than that employed in the first embossing.Theembossed design employed in the first embossing is preferably ashallow grain with small characters. The embossing plate employed in thesecond .embossing operation has larger characters than the designemployed for the first embossing operation in order that the designemployed in the first embossing operation will be entirely concealed bythe design of the second embossing plate. The

re-embossed portion takes on the appearance of the plate employed in thesecond embossing operation and the portion which is not re-embossedremains unchanged. The predetermined portions which are re-embossed aregoverned by the partial removal or making of depressions in the bedemployed in the second embossing operation. A sheet of material producedaccording to this preferred embodiment is disclosed in Figure 4.

It is also to be understood that one of the plates or rolls may besmooth so that the finished design will have a strip of embossingalternating with a smooth finish. This same general effeet, I. e., asmooth and an embossed portion design, may be obtained by a singleembossing of the original stock material provided the embossing bed usedin such an embossing has cutaway portions. Examples of material producedin such a manner are illustrated in Figures 5, 6, '7, 9, .11 and 12 ofthe drawings.

It has been found that striped novel embossing effects can be. obtainedby-making /2" channels in the bed at every space across the entire widthof the bed, the channels running the entire length of the bed. This typeof pattern is illustrated in Figures 4 and 12.

While the preferred method described is the removal of a portion of thebed employed in the second embossing operation, it is also possible toobtain the same effect by placing over the bed strips or designs ofmaterial similar to the bed. In. this manner, only'that portion of thesheet which is supported by the design or strip placed over the bed willbe re-embossed.

The type of embossing bed which has been found satisfactory for thepurpose is a fiber board commonly known as Homosote covered withembossing felt which gives a resilient surface and will take the form ofa matrix to the embossing plate. Such an embossing bed is generally onlyused for one grain.

It is also possible to remove a portion of the drum employed in rollerembossing which corre- ,sponds to the bed in plate embossing. However,the pressure necessary for roller embossing would tend to break down theedges of the channels in the paper bowl and for this reason the secondembossing operation is not adapted to the roller type embossing as wellas the plate type.

In the embodiment involving a second embossing operation the presentembossing machine is equipped with an embossing bed which has por-.tions cut away. As a result, only that portion of the embossed sheetcoming in contact with the steel plate and the unremoved portion of thebed will be re-embossed. The embossing plate will, however, come incontact with the entire I surface of the previously embossed sheet, butthere will be no pressure applied wherever a portion of the bed has beenremoved and consequently there will be no re-embossing at these pointsor point. The result is that the portion of the sheet which has beenre-embossed has the design of the second embossing plate and the portionwhich was not re-embossed has the design of the first embossing.

As will be apparent from the preceding description, this inventionenables the manufacturer to produce a practically unlimited number ofdesigns, such as the polka dot design of Figure 9, the initialed designof Figure 7, the striped designs of Figures 4 and 12 and the squaresdesign of Figure 11, without the necessity of having specially preparedembossing plates or a large number of embossing plates.

Many other designs, for example those involving flowers and animals,will be suggested to those skilled in the art after consideration ofthis specification.

The process of the invention is particularly adaptable to the productionof novel embossed designs on coated or uncoated sheet material such asleather, coated fabrics of various types, coated or uncoated paper andsimilar non-woven fabric materials, etc.

The process of the invention presents as a principal advantage 2, meansfor producing new and novel embossed designs on sheet material by theuse of equipment ordinarily used in the usual embossing operations, thusobviating'the necessity of additional equipment for producing specialdesigns.

A further advantage is a means for producing varied design combinationson sheet material at a reduced cost over methods now available.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to beunderstood that I do not limit myself to the specific embodiment thereofexcept as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In the process of embossing fabrics in which the fabric is pressedbetween a member bearing a design and a registering embossing bedbearing the counter-part of the design, the improvement which comprisesremoving a portion of the bed to a depth greater than the design andpressing a fabric between the said member hearing the design and theembossing bed.

2. In a process for embossing patterns on a coated sheet material inwhich the material is pressed between an element bearing a design and acounter element in which has been impressed the counter-part of thedesign, the improvement which comprises embossing the said sheetmaterial and subsequently re-embossing with a plate bearing a differentdesign and a bed bearing a counter design, said bed having portions ofthe design removed to such a depth that

